July 10, 2006

Two UA Students Named Fulbright Scholars

Megan Carper and Amanda McMillan

UA students Megan Carper of Decatur and Amanda McMillan of Monroeville have been named 2006 Fulbright Scholars.

Carper, a psychology and international relations major, will teach English as a foreign language in Turkey through her Fulbright appointment.

McMillan, a math and German major, will teach English as a foreign language in Germany through the Fulbright Program.

Fulbright scholars receive round-trip transportation, tuition, book and research allowances, supplemental health and accident insurance, and living expenses for an academic year in an effort to increase mutual understanding between people of the U.S. and people of other countries.

The Fulbright Scholarship Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals. The program allows participants to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, and teaching in universities, elementary and secondary schools in more than 150 countries.

Mercedes Spokesman Named UA Director of Publications

Austin Dare, a communications executive for Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, has been named director of publications at UA.

In his new role, Dare is responsible for integrating the University’s printed communication efforts.

“Austin Dare is a great addition to our team of professionals,” said Gary Creek, assistant vice president for marketing and communications. “I know that under his leadership and direction, the University’s integrated marketing communication initiatives will be greatly enhanced.”

Dare, who holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University, has 13 years experience in public relations, media relations and marketing communications. For the past eight years, he has served as media relations and internal communications specialist for Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc., or MBUSI, in Tuscaloosa.

“It is an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to direct such a fine creative staff of marketing communications professionals here at The University of Alabama,” said Dare.

“This University has a clear vision of where it wants to go in the future, and I am excited to be a part of the tremendous growth taking place on campus. My tenure at MBUSI has prepared me well to assist in charting a course for the University’s future as it continues to flourish as a student-centered research institution.”

At MBUSI, Dare served as media spokesman and directed the company’s internal communications activities, ranging from newsletter and magazine production to coordination of its internal TV network. In addition, he served as project manager on a number of major MBUSI media initiatives such as the company’s expansion project and 10-Year Anniversary Celebration.

Prior to joining MBUSI, Dare spent five years as editor of the Moundville Times newspaper. During his tenure, the paper won more than 25 awards from state and national organizations.

Maize Receives Outstanding Educator Award

Dr. Roy Maize, associate professor and director of the restaurant, hotel and meetings management program in the UA College of Human Environmental Sciences, has been selected to receive the Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding U.S. Educator from the American Hotel and Lodging Association Educational Institute.

The award recognizes individuals who have made effective use of the Educational Institute’s independent learning programs.

UA’s RHM program began placing its curriculum online in 2001 using educational materials produced by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. Currently, there are more than 125 students taking RHM courses online.

National Security Exchange Fellowship Awarded to UA Student

UA student Ava Giana Leone of Ashville has been awarded a National Security Exchange Program Boren Graduate Fellowship.

With the Boren Fellowship, Leone will be studying in the United States and overseas. The program will begin with a nine-week intensive Arabic program at Middlebury College in Vermont. Leone, a political science major at UA, will be in Vermont from June 16-Aug. 18 and then travel to the Palestinian Territories and Israel.

From September-December, Leone will be living in Ram Allah in the West Bank researching Palestinian public opinion toward the peace process. She will also be attending the oldest Palestinian University, Bir Zeit, and working on her master's degree in Middle Eastern politics.

From the Palestinian Territories, Leone will move to the Negev Desert and begin Hebrew classes at Ben Gurion University. While at Ben Gurion, she will be studying in the conflict resolution and peace studies department of BGU, as well as completing her outside research by analyzing Israeli public opinion toward the peace process.

When she returns to the United States, Leone will complete an NSEP service requirement in the State Department, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security or the Intelligence Community in order to help her better identify which government agency best suits her.

McKinley Award Goes Quarterly

The Vergil Parks McKinley Sr. Employee Award, formerly given monthly, now will be presented quarterly in the amount of $1,200.

The award recognizes enterprising employees who by action or idea contribute to UA’s mission of teaching, research and service. It was established by Helen H. and John K. McKinley of Darien, Conn., and Tuscaloosa to honor their father-in-law and father, a long-time professor at the University. Dr. Vergil Parks McKinley, after receiving degrees at Columbia, came to The University in 1918 and retired as head of the College of Education’s trade and industrial development department in 1945, after 25 years of service.

Nominations should be submitted to the employee awards selection committee on the official employee award form accessed on the UA FORMS page and submitted to the employee awards selection committee. Any supervisor may nominate any employee who reports to him or her. All UA employees are eligible for the award, but special consideration will be given to nonfaculty and non-student staff employees.

UA Documentary Wins Award

Richard Johnston (l) and Max Shores

Richard Johnston: Hill Country Troubadour,” a documentary production of the UA Center for Public Television and Radio, won second place in the Feature Documentary category at the third annual Tupelo Film Festival held in Tupelo, Miss. May 18-21.

Produced and directed by Max Shores, the documentary tells the story of a musician who traveled the world looking for inspiration and finally found it in a backwoods Mississippi juke joint.

Shores joined filmmakers from across the nation attending the festival to present their films. Film fans from as far away as Arkansas and Maryland attended the screening of the UA documentary in the downtown Tupelo Lyric Theatre and Johnston performed on the courthouse square across the street from the theatre. “Richard Johnston: Hill Country Troubadour” was also featured at the Memphis International Film Festival in March and the Crossroads Film Festival held in Jackson, Miss., in April. It has been broadcast on Alabama Public TV several times and national distribution is planned.

The Center for Public TV and Radio is a service division of the College of Communications and Information Sciences providing instruction and practical experience on high quality productions to students.

UA Student to Intern at Art Institute of Chicago

UA student Matthew Harper of Helena has been awarded a prestigious summer internship at the Art Institute of Chicago with the department of American Art.

The Art Institute of Chicago houses more than 1,000 paintings and sculptures, including works by Frederic Remington and the Alfred Stieglitz collection along with nearly 2,500 decorative art objects dating from the 17th century to present day. Harper is the only intern for the department of American Art and one of 10 interns for the museum.

Harper’s internship will conclude Aug. 15. The UA student also was awarded the Mary M. Morgan Memorial Art Scholarship and the Virginia Rembert Liles Endowed Scholarship in Art this year.

Harper previously served as the art gallery coordinator for the Ferguson Center Gallery since February 2005. The Ferguson Art Gallery credits its full slate of exhibits to Harper’s dedication and diligence to student awareness about the gallery.

For more information about the Art Institute of Chicago go to www.artic.edu.

UA Oceanographer Among World War II Shipwreck Researchers Honored by U.S. Department of Labor

A group of scientists, including a UA oceanographer, who investigated multiple ships that were sunk by Hitler’s U-boat activities in the Gulf of Mexico during World War II were recently honored for their contribution to science.

Dr. William Schroeder, a professor of biological sciences in UA’s marine science program who is stationed at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, participated in the Deep Wrecks Project, a collaboration of federal agencies, private companies and universities.

Acting Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett presented the group with the Cooperative Conservation Award at the U.S. Department of Interior Honor Awards Convocation held recently in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes cooperative conservation achievements that involved collaborative activity among a diverse range of entities including federal, state, local and tribal governments, private for-profit and nonprofit institutions, and other nongovernmental entities and individuals.

“Today we honor private citizens who heard the call of duty. They embody the concept of cooperative conservation and partnership,” Scarlett said at the event, held in the Sidney Yates Auditorium of the Main Interior Building. “Regardless of where or how they serve, all of today’s awardees have inspired us with their service.”

The Deep Wrecks Project investigation was designed to provide historical, archaeological and biological insight.

The biological aspect of the study was meant to discover whether or not manmade artifacts function as artificial reefs in deepwater. Although the study is ongoing, preliminary findings show that artificial reefs can serve as a positive habitat and replace hard-bottom areas where they are lacking. The archaeological aspects of the study sought to document and identify the status of six ships sunk during World War II, including the submarine U-166.

The Deep Wrecks Project has far-reaching ramifications for deepwater oil and gas exploration and production. The results of the biological research serve to prove that deepwater shipwrecks and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico can and do serve as artificial reefs. Archaeologically, the study is one of the most comprehensive deepwater shipwreck investigations ever conducted.

During the summer of 2004, the multidisciplinary group, overseen by the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service, ventured into the Gulf of Mexico’s deep waters for the 16-day mission.

More background on the mission is available at http://www.pastfoundation.org/DeepWrecks/ and at http://uanews.ua.edu/anews2004/jul04/shipwrecks072204.htm.

UA’s Randall Awards Highlight Undergraduate Student Research

Twenty UA students received Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards, with one receiving the $4,800 H. Pettus Randall Jr. Scholarship.

The Randall Undergraduate Research Awards Program is sponsored by UA’s Computer- Based Honors Program and Randall Reilly Publishing and is funded by an endowment from H. Pettus Randall III in memory of his father, H. Pettus Randall Jr. Started in 1997, the program recognizes and encourages outstanding undergraduate research at the University.

Jacob Batson, a chemistry major from Tuscaloosa, was presented the scholarship, a top Computer-based Honors Program award, at a luncheon recognizing all 20 students. One of Batson’s research projects focuses on the development of new materials to store hydrogen and release it under controlled conditions so that hydrogen is never stored at a high pressure in a complex tank. This kind of storage is needed as hydrogenbased fuel cells become a fuel possibility. Dr. David Dixon, Ramsey Chair of Chemistry, wrote in his nomination letter Batson’s work is “...leading us in new directions as how to store hydrogen in chemical systems.”

Other students recipients were: Bobbi K. Adams and Amanda L. French working together on a project with Dr. John Vincent, professor of chemistry; Emily A. Anderson working with Dr. Rebecca Allen, associate professor of psychology; Stephanie B. Brennan nominated by Dr. Juan Lopez- Bautista, professor of biological sciences; Amber Clark nominated by Dr. Kim Caldwell, assistant biology professor; Lee Edwards researching with Dr. David Hale, director of the Aging Infrastructure Systems Center of Excellence; Mary L. “Marla” Hampel working with Dr. Chris Brazel, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering; Ryan House nominated by Dr. David Dixon, Ramsey Chair of Chemistry; J. Patrick Keenum a chemistry major from Sheffield, also nominated by Dixon; Glenn Kelly working with Dixon; Timothy Kucharski nominated by Dr. Silas Blackstock, professor of chemistry;

Michelle McGaha working with Dr. Daniel Fonseca, assistant professor of industrial engineering; Shermeen B. Memon nominated by Dr. Guy Caldwell, associate professor of biological sciences; Jennifer R. Pate working with Dr. Robert Batson, professor of industrial engineering; Jennifer L. Phillips working with Dr. Duane Johnson, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering; Kathryn T. Picard nominated by Dr. Martha Powell, chair of biological sciences; Lauren Stevenson nominated by Dr. Katrina Ramonell, assistant professor of biological sciences; Jackson Switzer nominated by Dixon; and Sean Sylvia nominated by Dr. James Peery Cover, professor of economics.

Johnson Receives Sarah Healy Award

Virginia H. Johnson, associate vice president for auxiliary services, recently was presented the Sarah Healy Award by the Media Planning Board.

Johnson’s nomination was written by Chris Otts, who served as editor of the Crimson White during the past academic year.

The Healy Award, named for UA’s longtime dean of women, is UA’s top honor given for service to student media. Healy was an avid supporter of student publications and a member of the Media Planning Board. The Media Planning Board is responsible for recommending and documenting policy guidelines affecting the University Student Media.

Tindol Joins UA Legal Staff

M. Chad Tindol has joined the UA Office of Counsel.

Tindol received his B.A., summa cum laude, in English in 1994 from UA. While at the University, he received many awards and recognitions, including Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board Honor Society. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1997, where he served on the Yale Journal of Regulation. Following Law School, Tindol clerked for U.S. District Judge W. Harold Albritton and then became an associate with the Birmingham law firm of Maynard, Cooper & Gale.

Prior to joining the UA Office of Counsel, Tindol was a partner in law firm of Marsh, Cotter & Tindol in Enterprise, Alabama, where he had practiced since 1999. In private practice Tindol handled a wide variety of legal matters including representing several school boards, litigation, real estate development and dispositions, and general business advising.

UA Student to Work for United Nations

UA doctoral student Jane Munga has been awarded a summer internship with the United Nations and will be in Sanaa, Yemen, until Aug. 20.

Munga, who is in UA’s political science program, is majoring in international relations with minors in public policy administration and economics. She will be working with the United Nations in collaboration with the Yemen government to realign their mine recovery program to the U.N.’s best global policy practices.

“I am excited about representing The University of Alabama in this prestigious and highly competitive internship program,” said Munga. The internship will contribute towards her research in postconflict issues in humanitarian affairs, Munga added.

Born and raised in Kenya, Munga relocated to Tuscaloosa in 1996 to further her education. She attended Stillman College to study business administration and international studies and earned a master’s degree in economics and management at UA before pursuing her doctoral degree.

Oneal Recognized with BufordPeace Award

Dr. John R. Oneal, professor of political science at UA, has been named the 2006 recipient of the Buford Peace Award.

Housed in the UA School of Social work, the Lahoma Adams Buford Endowed Support Fund provides the Buford Peace Award, a universitywide endowed award established to recognize and encourage faculty members to become both professionally and personally active in causes that promote justice and peace.

Oneal joined the UA faculty in 1998. He is highly acclaimed as an international expert on the subjects of democracy, foreign policy and peace. The author of numerous articles and two books, Oneal has also been a Fulbright Scholar. One of his books received the Edgar S. Ferniss Jr. Award in recognition of its contributions to the study of national security affairs.

Pruitt Named to Who’s Who in Birmingham

Dr. Samory Pruitt, UA vice president for community affairs, was recently named to “Who’s Who in Black Birmingham for 2006.” This publication features the achievements of 236 of Birmingham’s outstanding African-American leaders who have made their mark in their careers, professions or in service to others in the greater Birmingham area.

In his position, Pruitt is responsible for developing and managing the University’s public outreach programs, including economic development, social programs and the educational liaison relationships of the University.

In 2003, Pruitt chaired the planning committee for “Opening Doors,” UA’s commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the first successful enrollment of African-American students at the University. He also has chaired the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Concert and Lecture Series for several years and has been involved with numerous campus programs and events.

Pruitt has served as director of the UA President’s Community Advisory Council, a group of Tuscaloosa community leaders that seeks to facilitate dialog between UA and the surrounding community on a wide variety of issues. He also represents UA on the Tuscaloosa Consortium for Higher Education, an organization formed in 1990 to facilitate joint initiatives between Shelton State Community College, Stillman College and UA.

Pruitt is a three-time UA graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1984, a master’s degree in public administration in 1998 and a doctorate in higher education administration in 2003.

He joined the UA staff in the facilities area in 1986 and held positions of increasing responsibility in that area until 1999 when he was named director of corporate and foundation relations in the Office of Advancement.

Bearden Named Most Outstanding Professor of the Year by Alma Mater

UA staff member Bennett L. Bearden has been selected as Most Outstanding Professor of the Year by the Birmingham School of Law graduating class of 2006.

Bearden is director of the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council Eastern Gulf Region at UA. He received the award at the school’s 91st annual banquet held recently in Birmingham.

Bearden has served as an adjunct professor at the Birmingham School of Law since 1994 where he teaches trial advocacy and equity. This is his fifth faculty honor and fourth consecutive teaching award. He received similar awards as one of the outstanding professors of the year in 1997, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, Washington, D.C. Bar and has been admitted to the Roll of Solicitors of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. Bearden received his bachelor’s degree in geography (1980), bachelor’s degree in geology (1981) and master’s in geology (1984) all from UA. He is a 1992 graduate of the Birmingham School of Law, where he ranked number one academically in his class.

University Recreation Director Named NIRSA Vice President

George Brown, director of University Recreation at UA has been elected Region II vice president of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association board of directors. Brown was elected to the two-year position during the 2006 NIRSA Annual Conference and Recreational Sports Exposition held recently in Louisville, Ky.

“Representing the NIRSA and the members of the largest region within the association is an honor and a privilege. I am extremely proud to represent The University of Alabama as our University Recreation program is acknowledged and recognized among the best in the nation,” Brown said.

As Region II vice president, Brown will be one of 11 members on the NIRSA board of directors and will assist in governing the national association. The NIRSA board will be leading a financially sound and growing organization that administers a $2.5 million annual operating budget and has a wholly-owned, for-profit corporation, the NIRSA Services Corp.

“George is a truly valued member of our association,” said Dr. Kent J. Blumenthal, NIRSA executive director. “His many years of experience, and his multitude of contributions to not only our association, but also the collegiate recreational sports and fitness field, make him an outstanding leader.”

NIRSA is the leading resource for professional and student development, education and research in collegiate recreational sports. Headquartered in Corvallis, Ore., NIRSA was established in 1950 at a meeting at Dillard University of 22 African-American men and women from 11 historically black colleges and universities. NIRSA now includes some 4,000 highly trained professional, student and associate members throughout the U.S., Canada and other countries.

Serving an estimated 5.5 million students who regularly participate in campus recreational sports programs, NIRSA members are actively engaged in many areas of campus life. For more information go online to www.nirsa.org.

UA Disability Services Director Selected as First Participant for International Exchange Program

Jean Keating (l) from the University College in Dublin Ireland and Judy Thorpe (r), director of the UA Office of Disability Services, talk with a student.

Judy Thorpe, director of UA’s Office of Disability Services (ODS), and her counterpart in Ireland, Jean Keating were selected to be the first participants in an International Exchange Program offered by the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD).

This pilot initiative provided an opportunity for Thorpe and Keating to enhance their professional development through an exploration of disability service provision in another country.

In April, Keating spent a week at UA and in May Thorpe spent two weeks at the University College Dublin. While at the respective campuses, they shadowed their partner to learn more about disability services in another culture.

Thorpe has been director of ODS since 2002. She holds a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling with a special emphasis in deafness.

ODS serves as the central contact point for UA students with disabilities. They work individually with students to determine appropriate and reasonable academic accommodations, and to ensure that students’ academic performance is evaluated apart from the limiting effects of disability.

Blum Receives Amherst Honorary Degree

Dr. Alan Blum, UA professor in the College of Community Health Sciences, Gerald Leon Wallace Endowed Chair in Family Medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, recently received an honorary degree from Amherst College.

A 1969 Amherst graduate, Blum was recognized for his work in the field of family medicine and his focus on preventing tobacco-related illness.

Blum has served as editor or on the editorial board of nine medical journals, written numerous articles in scholarly and popular journals, and traveled widely as a public speaker. Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop called him an “unsung hero of the world of public health.”

As an anti-smoking activist, Blum pioneered the use of paid “counter-advertising” through purchased space in the mass media. He also has studied the tobacco industry’s efforts to target women, minorities and children, and has examined the connection between cigarette companies and their sponsorship of sports and cultural events.

At the Amherst event, Blum presented a lecture on “Medicine vs. Madison Avenue: Fighting Smoke with Fire.”

UA Counseling Center Receives IACS Accreditation

The UA Counseling Center has recently been accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services, an organization of counseling agencies in the United States, Canada and Australia that is based in Alexandria, Va.

In its review of the UA Counseling Center, the IACS noted the UA center’s strong reputation on campus, leadership and dedicated staff. The UA Counseling Center is the second center in the state and one of 15 in neighboring states, to be accredited by the IACS. “Achieving this milestone represents several years of intensive self-examination and improvement in our services,” said Dr. Lee Keyes, UA Counseling Center director.

IACS accreditation means that a group of experienced professionals across the nation critically looked at all aspects of the center’s operations and found that it met their rigorous standards. Along with meeting standards established by IACS, the Board of Accreditation evaluated the center and found it qualified as a professionally competent counseling service.

To insure that accredited centers maintain high standards set by the IACS, re-evaluations are required every four years and a mandatory on-site evaluation every eight years. The counseling center also will be required to complete annual reports to give evidence of maintaining standards.

“With this development, members of the UA community will hopefully understand that we strive to maintain high standards of practice, and that we remain committed to continued improvement in the years to come,” Keyes said.

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